Meeting the Candidates

The Daily Times Editorial Board, on which I proudly serve, has been meeting with local candidates for County Council and Common Pleas court judgeships.

A couple of observations:

Democrats John Innelli and Ann O'Keefe surprisingly and individually volunteered that they took issue with the tone of the campaign being run by their running mate, David Landau.

They seem to think it is too accusatory when it comes to alleging GOP corruption in the county courthouse.

I think so too.

But at least Landau is making the serious effort to make the case for minority representation on council. He's running a much stronger campaign than either of the other two and working harder at it.

We had all the GOP candidates, Andy Lewis from Haverford, Christine Fizzano Cannon from Middletown and Tom McGarrigle from Springfield in Wednesday afternoon.

All three were impressive in my book, Lewis for his business credentials and general independence of the older-style county GOP machine politics, Cannon for her geniality and good grasp of the issues facing the county, and McGarrigle for his down-to-earth, common-man business sense.

My favorite moment came when I was badgering McGarrigle about a shot he took at Landau earlier in the campaign for his ACLU work 20 years ago. (He'd said it showed that Landau cared more about cop killers and criminals than the taxpayers of Delaware County.)

After trying to suggest that wasn't exactly what he said, he simply admitted he'd been wrong.

"I shouldn't have said that."

That impressed me.

When we caught the Landau campaign fudging the truth about its hand in revealing McGarrigle's tax problems in the early 1990s, Landau should have stepped up and said simply said "we screwed up." He didn't. At least, when I asked him about after it happened.

Like the good lawyer that he is, he tried to change the subject. Sometimes though, it's better to simply admit a mistake and move on. It shows integrity and confidence and its very disarming, especially with journalists.

For her part, Cannon said the county government web site was one of the worst she'd ever seen and that she would like to see it made more user friendly. Here here to that.

The Dems all made the same old arguments for a county health department.

The Repubs are said they had "open minds" about the issue but wanted to wait until a cost-benefit study was done to make a final decision on the matter. Sounds reasonable.

And EVERYBODY is against the FAA flight plan and for the county-funded lawsuit it.

Ridley DJ Greg Mallon, who is running for Common Pleas court judge was as affable and genial as could be. Over his 26 years as DJ he said he's heard over 100,000 cases and like anything else, the more you do something, the better you get at it.

When I told him he was gaining a reputation for being a little "cranky" on the bench he seemed so geniunely surprised that I told him I'd reject my sources. I haven't yet but I will.

Mary Alice Brennan was something of a surprise. She's also running for judge. All she talked about how wonderful, hard-working, fair, compassionate, experienced, etc. she is. She's been a District Justice. A public defender and county council member. She has plenty of street cred. There's a way of conveying that without seeming to bragging on yourself about it.

At her last appearance at the Daily Times, when she was running for county council, as I recall, she seemed easier going and had less of an edge. This was more of a hard sell job, seemed a little out of character for her. I wasn't the only one who noticed it.

I don’t feel it is “trying to scare voters” by shining daylight on a radical Lib’s credentials like Landau being an ACLU lawyer …or Daly’s history.

Hey, when you have Daly in there be sure to press him about his fiercely partisan bringing of the Michael Moore movie “Fahrenheit 911” to our “Local” Film Festival in the run up to the 2004 Presidential Election and his smug refusal to pull it.

A number of people have serious questions about his ability to sit in judgment and render fair decisions after his years of displayed radical Liberalism. He should be held accountable for this, not given a pass by spouting simple dismissives and campaign platitudes –as he did here yesterday- by the local Dem-friendly Press.

You’ll blindly, viciously, attack any Repub and defend and support any old Dem just so long as they’re a Dem, huh, Dave? You and Landau are the kind of problem partisans people are tired of. Whatever happened to all that needed “bipartisan unity” you LibDems used to chirp about?And if the Dems controlled the courthouse would they still be weeping about the “need” for “checks and balances”, “diversity of opinion” and “two party representation”? (snicker)

Seems to me that its not just Gil that has a problem with Landau's negative campaign and smear tactics. Looks like the other two Democrats candidates have a problem with Landau too! I also heard that Paul Scoles was out criticizing Landau's campaign tactics as well. You know its bad when the leadership of your own party and your own running mates are distancing themselves from you.

This type of negative campaigning by Landau may be okay in Washington DC where he learned the underhanded tricks of the trade (from Gary Hart, no less), but Delco doesn't take kindly to it in local races.

Right. Bottom line: The fact is, Daly well knows that he’s not a judge because he is a partisan Lib, and yet he pretends as if it’s for some other reason as he turns it into an indictment of his enemies –ala Landau. Dishonest Lib politics as usual, sure, but Judge-like? There is nothing neutral about the man. And people are sick of such Hillary-style politics.

No. We’re saying having a Lib lying trying to get in there to inflict his Libism on others from the bench is worse. I’m partisan too, sure. But then, I’m not the one who wants to be a judge and sit in partisan judgment of others, either. Landau’s entire false premise has been that there is something inherently wrong with county workers being Repubs. I say being a Lib is worse. And being one is good reason to preclude them from office or the bench.

Right. The Dems are dirtier than anyone. All one need do is look to places like Philly or New Jersey to see what becomes of a place that suffers under years of Democrat rule. Even if all of Landau’s charges were true, having Repubs control and run Delco in the manner they have is still better than what becomes of any place under Dem control. That’s reason enough to shut them out. “Checks and balances” and “diversity of opinion” by Dems? No thanks. We’ve seen what that brings.

How many republican towns have solicitors that are registered Democrats???How many republican towns have Catania or Pennoni as their engineer?How many of the many assistant county solicitors are democrats?IN those seven democratic controlled municipalities you cite to, you will find republican engineers, republican managers, republican police chiefs, republican code officials, etc. IN the Delaware County Courthouse and 42 "republican" controlled municipalities, you will find only republican Solicitors, only republican engineers, etc. That does not make republicans bad and democrats. I does ssay a lot though when dems have republicans as appointed officials, but Repugnants have none, nor do these Repugnants even consider a democrat. It's not about the republicans, its about their repugnant leadership, and their insatiable desire for money and power.I don't agree wiht all of Landau's tactics, but he raises a legitimate point that voters should consider. As to the campaign of Innelli and O'Keefe, they seem to be doing as much if not more that Lewis, Cannon and McGarrigle, and Gil's cheapshots are just that. Just because the Repugnants have the labor unions over a barrell and all these businesses and money people beholden to them so they can raise hundreds of thousdands of dollars to keep them in power and have fancy literature and tv ads does not mean they are running harder than anyone.

I am a died ont he wool real conservative, and I want the Dems to take control of County Council. If for no other reason, it will shake up the republican pwer brokers (there are 4). Quite frankly, the current Republican leadership is all about themselves, and they do nothing to include republicans that are not part of the inner circle. A democratic win will strengthen our republican party and it will force our republican party to act like republicans.

Nah, the Repubs have been running the County just fine for years. And as a result the Dems put up little more than token opposition come election time. This time around the Dems have to create “controversies” in order to have something to assail in their ravenous quest for power. For instance, we’ve done just fine for this long and now –suddenly- there is this urgent need for a multi-million dollar County Health Department? Nah. I doubt many thinking folks are buying their shrill accusations and contrived “issues”.

As I recall, it was the Dems that wanted the home rule charter in hopes that no republican would ever be elected to county council following Nixon's resignation (unlike Clinton who was impeached, at least Nixon did the right thing by resigning before impeachment). That plan backfired and the dems can't win anything on the county level. If the dems had conservative values they would have a much better shot at winning than the current republicans who are running as RINO's (republicans in name only).

You see Dave, liberalism is useless as it promotes everything deviant, stands for nothing, and exists primarily to rid our nation of any sense of judeo christian values and morality.

For instance, do you think that our children should be taught that homosexuality is normal? Do you think that God should be eliminated from the public arena, including public schools? Do you really have a problem with any display of the ten commandments?

Some of what I mention above is the very reason why our nation has withstood the test of time. With the current progressive movement, we are now being forced to embrace all that was wrong, while being told to shun all that was right.

"You see Dave, liberalism is useless as it promotes everything deviant, stands for nothing, and exists primarily to rid our nation of any sense of judeo christian values and morality."

I ask that you re-consider whether that might be a little over the top. I see that you are a conservative Republilcan, and I respect that. However, I am a Democrat, and a Catholic, and I can assure you it has never been my intention to rid the world of its moral compass.

Despite the fact that I am a Democrat, I acknowledge and respect the fact that you disagree with my party on many issues. Just because I am in a different party does not mean I have any personal animosity towards you or anyone else.

In fact, I recently had the opportunity to meet Greg Mallon, one of my opponents in the upcomming election. And I like and respect him. (I have not met Ms. Brennan, however, I assume that she too is not opposed to the continued existence of public morality).

I am pleased that you have convictions, and that you are participating in the public discourse.

Moreover, I do not pretend for one minute that I could convince you to become a Democrat.

But, is it possible that we can agree to advocate different positions and still respect the other's right to disagree?

Good letter in the newspaper today, Mr. Shields. I only wish you would have taken it further and illustrated how the gun-fearing Liberal gun ban policy directly contributed to the body count at places like Columbine and Virginia Tech.

Although I didn't realize that I sent a partial file at the time I submitted my column, I realized it today. If you send me your email I will send you a copy of the letter that I thought I sent to the paper.

Sure, Mr. S. I’d love to see it. I got your email address. So if I were you I’d edit your post here before some of these Libs get a hold of it and spam you. Libs are like that... all about childish and underhanded tactics to silence and annoy their adversaries.